2020 Annual Conference of the SID-W Chapter

Abt Global is a proud platinum-level sponsor of the 2020 Virtual Conference of the Society for International Development (SID)– Washington D.C. Chapter.  Though we cannot meet in person, the conference will bring together hundreds of international development professionals to discuss and debate ideas, trends, and challenges facing the sector today. This year’s conference theme--“The Decade to Deliver”--will focus on what needs to be done to reach the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.

If you’re attending, please stop by our virtual booth to speak with our experts and recruiters or catch us during one of our sessions:

October 8, 12:30 – 13:25 EST
Reimagining Development Panel
As the international development community continues to grapple with the current COVID-19 reality, organizations are preparing for the future: pivoting  programming, rearranging  priorities or adapting  to drastically different conditions and requirements. What does this new normal look like for international development project implementation going forward? What does this mean for programming?
Featured Abt Speaker: Michele Laird,  Regional Managing Director, International Development

October 8, 13:30 – 15:00 EST
Closing Plenary: Accelerating Impact in the Decade to Deliver
While an increasing number of private sector companies and countries are proactively measuring their progress towards the SDGs, a survey of SID-Washington members reveals only a quarter of development implementers have measurements or indicators in place to assess their progress on the SDGs.  This session will launch a new report addressing how implementers can modify their strategies to maximize their SDG impact in the upcoming decade to deliver.
Featured Abt Speaker: Eric Reading, Division Vice President, International Development

Lightning Talk: How Communities Are Improving Residents’ Health in Senegal
Karishmah Bhuwanee, Senior Associate/Scientist, describes how Abt and its partners in Senegal, with funding from USAID,  set up 400 health development committees to help communities govern their health facilities  and  be more involved in decisions that affect their health services and how they are managed.  Research has shown that strengthening the role of the community could avoid over 2 million maternal, newborn and child deaths each year. And, with COVID, communities are ideally placed to identify gaps or challenges in health services in real time, and help identify solutions.  The committees have been so successful that a national roll-out has been included in the Ministry of Health’s National Plan for Community Health Care. View the lightning talk here.